An urban route around Gijón

Lokalisatie

This industrial and fishing city is cheerful and laid-back and still preserves traces of its Roman past. Fishing and port traffic led to it developing fast and these days it opts for modernity. Find out about the route we suggest.

Playa de San Lorenzo beach, San Lorenzo Chapel and old municipal fish market.
The route through the city starts at San Lorenzo beach, a belt of golden sand bordered by a wall, “el Muro”, a promenade of several kilometres overlooking the Cantabrian Sea. Next to it is the Jove Hevia Tower and San Lorenzo Chapel, followed by the old municipal fish market, which is an administrative building these days.Campo Valdés Roman baths
Now, we will go to the baths, where you can see a recreation of how public baths operated in the first few centuries A.D.San Pedro Church and Chillida’s Elogio del horizonte
San Pedro Church stands at one end of the beach, inspired by the 9th-century temples in Asturias. On Santa Catalina hill, a military park converted into a splendid viewpoint, you can gaze on the Eduardo Chillida’s sculpture, Elogio del horizonte, symbolising saying farewell to emigrants.Town Hall and Casa de Jovellanos house
Back in the town centre, the Town Hall stands in the half-porticoed main square, the Plaza Mayor. Casa de Jovellanos house is very near. This is an ancestral dwelling where the most important figure of the Spanish Enlightenment came into the world. Nowadays, it is a museum containing collections of Asturian art, as well as works from the main European schools. Revillagigedo Palace and the Clock Tower
This is the Cimadevilla district, one of the most popular in Gijón, whose warm atmosphere makes a visit highly recommendable. The 18th-century Baroque Revillagigedo Palace sands opposite the statue of Don Pelayo and is now an exhibition centre, while the nearby collegiate church of San Juan Bautista holds concerts. The Clock Tower, with its permanent exhibition on local history, is also worth a visit. You won’t regret climbing up to the top floor to gaze over the city from a completely different perspective.Marina and aquarium
More attractions abound in the marina and Playa de Poniente beach, where the aquarium is a favourite with children and adults. There are about 4,000 fish from 400 different species.Railway Museum and Barjola Museum
The facilities at the Estación del Norte have been refurbished to house the Railway Museum, with a collection of trains from all ages that traces the development of industry and society in the Principality. Jove Palace houses the Barjola Museum, with exhibits of work by the popular Extremaduran painter. Calle Corrida Street and the Nicanor Piñole Museum
From here, we continue to the shops and pavement cafés in Calle Corrida Street. This leads to Plaza de Europa Square and the Nicanor Piñole Museum, with pictures and personal belongings from one of the best representatives of regional painting schools from the last century.Jovellanos Theatre
Another very important building is the Jovellanos Theatre, opened in 1899 in the style of the great coliseums of Europe. Next to it, in the Paseo de Begoña, is the Dindurra café, a must to visit to soak up its traditional atmosphere.San Lorenzo Church, Sagrado Corazón Church and Antiguo Instituto Cultural Centre
San Lorenzo Church is the main religious building in the area. It was built in the Gothic style at the beginning of the 20th century while Sagrado Corazón Church, in Calle Jovellanos Street, is popularly known as “la Iglesiona” The Antiguo Instituto Cultural Centre opposite holds exhibitions and other cultural activities.Isabel la Católica Park, Molino Viejo Parador and the People of Asturias Ethnographic Museum
Go down lively Calle Ezcurdia Street to Isabel la Católica Park, with dovecotes, woods and games for little children. The Molino Viejo Parador hotel is near the pond. The Ethnographic Museum of the People of Asturias is very close by where you can see a typical traditional Asturian peasant dwelling, a photograph exhibition in the Casa de los Valdés, the bagpipe museum and the pavilion sent by the Principality of Asturias to Expo 92 in Seville.Evaristo Valle Museum
The high-class Somió quarter is home to the Gijón bourgeoisie and also the Evaristo Valle Museum, with over one hundred of the Gijón artist’s works on display. The exhibition takes place in splendid gardens with ornamental plants and about 120 species of different trees and shrubs.Laboral City of Culture
A bit further from the centre of Gijón, Laboral City of Culture is a key building in 20th-century Spanish architecture mirroring San Lorenzo de El Escorial monastery. It has several exhibitions and is a unique place for cultural and creative output.Atlantic Botanical Gardens
Opposite are the Atlantic Botanical Gardens with 30,000 plants of up to 2,000 different species creating a picture postcard landscape.La Campa Torres Archaeological Park and Nature Reserve
Seven kilometres from the centre of Gijón, on the west of the bay, the park displays the archaeological heritage of Cabo Torres. The route covers a bird observatory, the viewpoint with vistas over the city, also several information points describing past times in Asturias and the origins of Gijón.